Ubud Writers & Readers Festival

Experience the Bali Ubud Writers & Readers Festival

The Bali Ubud Writers & Readers Festival is a world-class literary celebration that turns Ubud on Bali island into a vibrant meeting place for storytellers, readers, and thinkers from around the globe. Over several days, the festival combines panel discussions, book launches, workshops, cultural events, and evening performances in one of Asia’s most inspiring settings.

What Is the Bali Ubud Writers & Readers Festival?

The Ubud Writers & Readers Festival (often shortened to UWRF) is an annual literary and arts festival held in Ubud, the cultural heart of Bali island. It has grown into one of Southeast Asia’s largest and most influential literary festivals, regularly featuring over one hundred writers, journalists, artists, and activists from Indonesia and around the world.

More than a book festival, it is a platform for conversations about literature, culture, politics, the environment, and social change. Attendees can sit in on intimate in-conversation sessions, lively debates, poetry readings, and cross-cultural dialogues that reflect both Indonesian perspectives and global issues.

Island Location and Main Venues in Ubud

The festival takes place in Ubud, a hill town in central Bali known for its rice terraces, temples, and creative community. Ubud’s leafy streets, historic compounds, and café culture create a natural backdrop for days filled with ideas and storytelling.

Main Festival Hub and Additional Venues

The main festival hub is Taman Baca in the Sanggingan area of Ubud, which hosts many of the primary panel discussions and talks. Additional stages and programs run at nearby venues such as Indus Restaurant and its Writers Bar, as well as partner cafés, galleries, and hotels across Ubud. Free shuttle buses help guests move between central pickup points and the Taman Baca venue during the day.

When the Ubud Writers & Readers Festival Is Usually Held

The Ubud Writers & Readers Festival is held once a year and typically takes place in October, sometimes running into early November depending on the program. This timing falls in Bali’s dry to shoulder season, when the island still enjoys relatively pleasant weather and slightly fewer crowds than peak holiday periods.

Duration and Planning Your Visit

The program generally stretches over four to five days, from a Thursday start into the following Sunday or Monday, allowing visitors to immerse themselves in multiple sessions each day. Because exact dates vary, travelers should always confirm the current year’s festival schedule on the official UWRF website before finalizing travel plans.

Festival Origins and Purpose

The festival was founded by Janet DeNeefe, an Australian restaurateur and long-time Ubud resident, along with Yayasan Mudra Swari Saraswati, as a response to the Bali bombings and their impact on the island’s community and tourism. The idea was to support healing, cultural exchange, and economic recovery through a celebration of words and creativity.

Over time, the Ubud Writers & Readers Festival has become a prominent platform for Indonesian authors and voices from across the archipelago, showcasing literature that might otherwise be less visible internationally. It also creates space for difficult conversations on history, identity, and human rights, while still maintaining a welcoming and inspiring atmosphere.

Program Highlights: Panels, Workshops, and Cultural Events

The heart of the festival is its main program of panel discussions and in-conversation events. These sessions cover topics such as fiction, memoir, poetry, journalism, climate change, food writing, philosophy, and regional politics, often featuring a mix of Indonesian and international speakers on each panel.

Beyond the Panels

Beyond the panels, the Ubud Writers & Readers Festival offers:

• Literary lunches and dinners where guests share meals with featured authors in Ubud’s restaurants and heritage venues.
• Hands-on workshops in fiction, non-fiction, poetry, screenwriting, and more for aspiring and emerging writers.
• Book launches and author signings, giving readers the chance to meet their favorite writers in person.

Evening Performances and Cultural Spectacles

In the evenings, the festival program expands into live music, spoken word performances, poetry slams, and special film screenings at various Ubud locations. There are also special cultural events, such as palace evenings at historic compounds like Puri Kantor Legacy, where literature is paired with Balinese dance, music, and cuisine.

Local Culture and Island Context

Hosting the festival in Ubud means that literature is constantly framed by Balinese culture, from daily offerings at family shrines to gamelan rehearsals drifting through the air. Many festival events are held in venues with views of rice fields, ravines, or temple walls, making the setting part of the story.

The program often includes sessions focused specifically on Indonesia and Bali, featuring local writers and cultural leaders. Attendees can deepen their island experience by exploring nearby landmarks such as the Campuhan Ridge Walk, Ubud Palace, Saraswati Temple, and the Ubud Art Market between sessions.

Ticket Types and Typical Pricing

The Ubud Writers & Readers Festival offers several ticket options, designed to suit different budgets and levels of commitment. The core products are:

• Multi-day Festival Passes, which provide unlimited access to the main program across the full festival.
• One-day Festival Passes, offering access to all main program sessions and selected after-dark events on a chosen day.

Pricing Examples

An example of current pricing for a four-day Festival Pass for international attendees is around 6,350,000 Indonesian Rupiah, which includes entry to Taman Baca for the full run of the main program and after-dark screenings and live music. One-day passes for international guests are listed at approximately 1,900,000 Rupiah. Concession pricing is available for Indonesian nationals, KITAS and KITAP holders, ASEAN passport holders, and students, with significantly reduced rates.

Special events such as literary lunches, dinners, and intensive workshops are usually ticketed separately and require advance booking. All tickets are sold through official festival channels and partner platforms, sometimes with small booking and processing fees added.

Practical Travel Tips for Attending in Ubud

Most visitors base themselves in Ubud town to be close to the festival venues. Popular areas include Jalan Raya Ubud, Jalan Bisma, Sanggingan, and the Monkey Forest side streets, which offer hotels and guesthouses within a short drive or shuttle ride of Taman Baca.

Transportation and What to Pack

The festival recommends using its free shuttle buses, which usually run on a regular schedule between central Ubud pickup points and Taman Baca during the day. Walking is also a pleasant option for some routes, though Ubud’s narrow roads and hills can make comfortable footwear important.

Given Bali’s tropical climate, packing light clothing, a reusable water bottle, sun protection, and a small notebook or tablet for jotting down ideas is advisable. Evenings can be cooler, especially if you are sitting outdoors for performances, so bringing a light layer is helpful.

Who the Ubud Writers & Readers Festival Is For

The Bali Ubud Writers & Readers Festival is ideal for readers, writers, journalists, academics, students, and anyone who enjoys ideas and storytelling. Solo travelers often find it easy to meet like-minded people in cafés, queues, and break areas, while groups and couples can share favorite sessions and explore side events together.

Aspiring writers can gain skills and inspiration from workshops and craft panels, while general book lovers can simply enjoy discovering new voices and listening to in-depth conversations. The festival also appeals to those who want to experience Bali island in a more reflective and culturally engaged way than a standard beach holiday.

An Inspiring Invitation to Join the Festival in Bali

If spending your days surrounded by books, ideas, and creative people in the green hills of Bali sounds like a dream, the Bali Ubud Writers & Readers Festival belongs on your travel list. Imagine mornings walking past rice terraces, afternoons listening to powerful stories in open-air venues, and evenings filled with poetry, film, and music under the Ubud sky.

Check the latest dates on the official UWRF website, choose the Festival Pass that suits you, and plan a stay in Ubud that leaves time for both sessions and slow exploration of the island’s cultural heart. Let the Bali Ubud Writers & Readers Festival be your reason to visit Bali island, connect with writers and readers from every corner of the world, and return home with new books, new ideas, and new friends.

Verified Information at a Glance

• Event name: Ubud Writers & Readers Festival (UWRF)
• Event category: Annual literary and arts festival featuring talks, panels, workshops, and cultural events
• Typical months held: Usually in October, occasionally extending into early November
• Typical duration: Four to five days of main program sessions plus related events
• Main festival hub: Taman Baca, Jalan Raya Sanggingan, Ubud
• Additional key venues: Indus Stage and Writers Bar on Jalan Raya Sanggingan, plus cafés, galleries, and hotels around Ubud
• Island and town: Ubud, on Bali island, Indonesia
• Nearby landmarks: Ubud Palace, Saraswati Temple, Ubud Monkey Forest, Campuhan Ridge Walk, central Ubud cafés and markets
• Ticket types: Multi-day Festival Passes, One-day Festival Passes, plus separately ticketed special events such as literary lunches, dinners, and workshops
• Indicative pricing: Example four-day Festival Pass for international attendees around IDR 6,350,000, with One-day passes around IDR 1,900,000; concessions available for Indonesians, KITAS/KITAP, ASEAN passport holders, and students